1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an inkjet image former, and in particular, to an inkjet image former allowing for a printing start time to be set earlier at low temperatures with controlled affects of mist production.
2. Description of Relevant Art
There is a widely used inkjet printer including a print head for propelling out droplets of ink to form images on a print sheet. In the inkjet printer, the print head has a discharge mechanism composed of a set of piezoelectric elements or the like to be driven with applied drive voltages to propel out ink droplets. For use in the inkjet printer, typically available ink tends to have an increased viscosity under a low temperature environment, as a property that constitutes a difficulty in use of a normal drive voltage to keep adequate discharge quantities of ink. To this point, at low temperatures, there is use of a heater for heating ink, waiting for an adequate ink temperature to start a printing. As a result, the start time of printing is delayed under a low temperature environment, as an issue. This issue is significant, in particular at an ink circulation type printer that has an ink circulation route with much ink to be heated.
Besides the delay in start time of printing due to an increased ink viscosity under a low temperature environment, the inkjet printer undergoes, along with discharge of ink, production of mist being undesirable miniature droplets of ink that may adhere inside a printer housing, degrading a print quality, as an issue, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open 2007-296754.